Unuse Buildings

Having an abandoned or a partially use building in a area in general does not reflect well to a area. I am of course refering to Comercial Buildings that are either unuse currently after opening for a short time or compleately unuse, not houses.

. .

If i am not mistaken, in general terms, before a Cormercial Building can be built, the developer have to get it approve by the Authorities concern. And the developer being profit orientated should look into the viability and profitability of a cormecial building if he want to get sales. .

.

In Seberang Prai, Penang, this area seems to be littered by unuse or even abandoned cormercial building, with even more being build (though at other locations). If there is only a few such building, one can make the assumption that that partiqular developer make a mistake in the fesibility study, but if there is a number of such building, then what assumption can one draw?

.

.

Can all the developers be too optimistic about a certain area? What were they thinking off in planning such a building here? Why did the cormercial building were / is not successful? A certain Building in area come to mind. A Hotel, with a complex podium, with the Hotel Reception is at the 8th floor, A Very steep ram to the car park, This building is long time unuse and infact Danaharta is trying to sell it. I have seen a few advertisment on this building over the years with lower price and with no takers. Not to far a way is a another shopping complex, with a hotel and a office block, it is still surviving, as it is the Offical and principal Bus Stop/depot of the area. The Office Block is empty, and unuse except for the operator offices. The Shop in the complex open and close and as i understand it, this bus depot is surpose to be move some where else in the future to ease congestion. . . In general I wonder, how things are done. If I am ask to invest money in new cormercial/ shopping complex in this area, as thing stand right now, i dont think i will do so. I may be proven wrong in the future, but i dont think i will rue the chance.

Sungai Bakap Roast Duck

Sungai Bakap is known for Chye Koey and Roast Duck. In this two street town, there are two Chye Koey & Tim Sum Restaurant in the Old Town, but there are 5 Duck Rice (Sole occupant) Restaurant in the old town within 500 meters of each other, out of the total of 10 Chinese Coffee shop in Town. That is a high 50% occupancy rate for Roast Duck Rice, and they are all doing good business.

.

.

As with the Chye Koey (in a earlier post), People will travel 50Km plus to have lunch here, for the roast duck. My personal memories of this place, come from the time of my maternal aunt, was working here in the Government Hospital as a Nursing Sister around 40 years ago. My Mum visited, I did not remembered the Chye Koey and Roast Duck.

.

.

These days there is this Duck Rice Stall I go to, Right at the cross road of the Town, Rice is serve in Bowls, Old style Coffee Shop table but with plastic chair. The Duck rice is serve with Cut Pickle Bird Eye Chill, though Chili sauce is available, along with char siew, siew bak and roast pork sausage.

.

.

Will I travel 50Km just to have lunch here? Well, even though the Roast Duck is good, I fell that I will not travel a distance, but if I am in the area, why not. Give it a try. Non Halal

Government Agency Front line Service

I misplace my car grant and road tax, Rather careless of me I Know, so i have to get replacements for this two items in order for me to drive around, What suprice me is that Goverment Agency Front Line Services have improve, while Private Sector were giving me the run around. . . Step Number 1, I was told was to Make a Police Report, Time taken in Police Station including obtaining Police Report 15 min, & RM2 to purchase the report. . . Step Number 2, is to head to your finance company (Ambank In my case) to get a letter, that took a bit of time and run around for me. At the local office, the person ask me to call the State HQ, who ask me to give the Police report to the local office to fax it to them, and the letter will be ready by the 3rd day. (that is what they told me) . . Well I thought OK, let wait, on the 3rd day I was at the local office twice, and was inform “we will call you when it arrive” and after 2 pm I call the HQ and was informed, “we did not get your police report and you did not make payment yet for the letter” , they have misplace the fax! And they did not ask for payment, In the First place. So I ask the local guys to fax it again and I ask them how to make payment so I can send over the receipt with it. The local guys did not know what to do or how much to pay. That took a phone call to HQ to sort it out. . . I finally got in on the 6th day. 6 days to get a letter and RM20 as payment, 3 trips to the local office. (That from a Efficient Private Sector) . . Step Number 3, JPJ Form I obtain the form from JPJ and noted that Photostat IC & Insurance, and to get my car inspected at puspakom. Time for Puspakom = 1 hour, RM50, during lunch time! Back to JPJ, waited for que 15 min and submitted documents and Grant was ready in 15 Min, RM50 Then to the Road tax office, see the officer in charge and waited for the que of 40 numbers And within 20 min all in I was out of JPJ. . . Time taken and Money Spend . . Police Station = RM2 , 15 min Am Bank = RM20, 6 days, 3 trips Puspakom = RM 50, 1 hour, even during lunch time JPJ, Road Grant = RM50, 30 min JPJ, Road Tax = RM50, 20 min Verdict . . . Well look like that the Government Agency Front line service is getting to be more efficient then the private sector! Keep up the good work

Swee Garden Restaurant @ Nibong Tebal.

If Cheng Kee Restaurant have the reputation of being number one in Nibong Tebal, for the Best food in town, Swee Garden Restaurant can be consider Number 2.

.

. Swee Garden Restaurant is located just at the Back of Maybank Nibong Tebal.

.

.

This fine Wedneseday Thaipusum, a Public Holiday, My Mum in Law and Sis in Law visited us, after a whole day of shopping with my wife, I took them out for dinner, with the intention of heading for Cheng Kee, but as usual it was Jam, Swee Garden was not much better but at least there were a few tables and parking was easier.

.

.

. 4 Adults, 4 child, and one baby, Total Cost RM77/- for the following dishes

.

.

Nibong Tebal Signature Dish, Too Bo Suin, or Boil Octopus , Overall this taste better here then the other restaurant, This dish is basically Boil Octopus, serve with chili sauce, but as mention this is the dish in town.

.

.

.

Thai Style Deep Fried Pig leg, Highly Recommended the skin is nice and crispy, and not too much fat.

.

.

.

Shang Hai Vegetable with Pork Soup, (Normal) .

.

. Claypot Bean Curd (Normal) .

.

. Vegetable of the Day (Normal) .

.

.

& Stir Fried Lala (Shellfish) with ginger, Recommended as the Lala is fresh and juicy.

.

.

Tanjung Bungah Café Chicken Rice

Location: Jalan Lembah Permain (near the Tungku Abdul Rahman College and the Deaf and dumb school) in Tanjung Bungah Concord Area.

.

.

.

Tanjung Bungah Café caters for the Tungku Abdul Rahman College crowd. It is usually jam pack during lunch over, and every one seems to be heading for the Chicken rice, so either come early or late if you want fast service, or prepare to wait and share your table.

.

.

.

Now on this day I was late around 2.30pm and hungry, even then it was a good 15 min wait before my order arrive. I have double rice, a portion of chicken and braised chicken leg, which cost me RM5.90. (piture below)

.

.

.

Now this Stall is the offshoot of the one in Tanjung Bungah Village, and the owner have learn his stuff well. Nicely cook juicy Chicken, aromatic rice cook to perfection, superb soup, and the Braise Chicken Legs just melts in your mouth all topped with the wonderful chillie sauce. .

.

.

.

Now it is only available for lunch here, and do arrive early or late, unless you are willing to wait and willing to eat what is put in front of you.

.

.

.

.

Rapid Penang 3 (Routes)

As Promise, here is the Rapid Penang Routes

Driver in a Hurry

This driver sure is in a hurry, I was right at the front waiting for the lights, planning to turn right when this driver just jump que and shot out and jump the red light and turn right. Hey Buddy what the rush! Going over to Prai?, Rushing for the Toilet? or some other thing. Take it easy will you.

Say it with Flowers!

nope this is not a Valentine Related Post. . .

Where would you think this photo is taken? a) In a Hotel? b) In a commercial building? c) in a branded Multi National Building? d) or in a government Building?

.

.

Answer: In a Government Building, to be exact the Federal Building at Anson Road, Penang.

.

.

Now a days Government Building is looking better then Hotels, at least of the 3 to 4 star category. In terms of Building appearance, marble or granite finishing, as well as interior. This is our tax ringgit hard at work, ensuring comfort for us citizens when we visit government departments to do what is required such as birth certs, Ic etc.

.

.

This will lead me to a future post on our Puspakom, JPJ as well as or National Registration Office, This departments sure have improve in delivery of service speed.

Happy Thaipusam

Thaipusam (Tamil: தைப்பூசம்) (or Thai Poosam Kavady) is a Hindu festival celebrated mostly by the Tamil community in Malaysia on the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai (usually in Jan/Feb for the rest of us).

.

.

The festival commemorates both the birthday of Lord Murugan (also Subramaniam), the youngest son of Shiva and Parvati, and the occasion when Parvati gave Murugan a vel (lance) so he could vanquish the evil demon Soorapadman.

.

.

Generally during the festival, people who has take a vow to offer a kavadi or other to the Lord for purpose of tiding over or averting a great calamity, will do so usually at Batu Caves, KL, Selangor, or at Waterfall in Penang or at nearby Temples.

.

.

.

To all my Indian/Tamil friends and readers, Happy Thaipusam

.

.

this post is with assistance from Wikipedia

X Mas Deco at a Mall in Penang

A late post of X mas deco at a Mall in Penang, Photo take before my fall

More from New World Park

was back at New World Park for more Food, this post is just some brief snapshots and comments on the food there.

Curry Mee

(For those from the south, Curry Laksa) Verdict : Fair,

Personally I prefer Pulau Tikus Curry Mee

Cucur Udang

Verdict: There are better ones

Chye Koey

Verdit: OK, compareable

Otak Otak

Verdict: Good

(Penang Style, Steam not BBQ)

Char Hor Fun

Verdict: Good

Misleeding Price Tag

Ever been to a Supermarket/Hypermarket and when you check out the good is price differently?

.

.

Take a look at the above picture, the cheese are stack up over two price tag, and if you just glance you will think that the 12 slice cheese pack is RM4+ which is very cheep, look carefully you will find out that it is actually 6 slice cheese pack. by moving the 6 slice to the side and stacking the 12 slice over the 6 slice price tag you have created the impression that the stuff you want to sell is cheep if you do not check the price tag properly.

.

.

It this done intentionally? If yes then it is cheating. Or is it the quality of staff? Either way be carefully out there, and don't be shy to reject the item if the price do not match.

A one lorry Accideent

Well the above is a picture of a one lorry accident at a T junction some where in Seberang Prai Selatan, Penang.

.

.

My Friend was driving, so this give me the opportunity to take a snap. As mention, it involve one lorry only, which i think tip over when negotiating this turn, it's cargo appears to be rice or grain being delivered to a feed mill factory? some where further up the road.

.

.

This of course created a traffic jam at this junction. However why did the lorry tip over, overloaded? lorry not well maintain? I thought that such vehicles must be periodically check by Puspakom (by Law) before their road tax can be renew. What Happen? This accidents seem to be quite common judgeing by the photo's publish in the Star.

My experience in a Government Hospital.

Some time back around one month a go, I slip and fell in my own bath room. That resulted in a crack (fracture) thigh bone that laid me up.

.

On the advice of the GP (Dr), who also summonsed a ambulance to my house, I was carted off to a local district hospital, where basically I was x-ray and a splint was attach to my leg and then it was off to the Seberang Jaya Hospital, as this local hospital did not have the specialist to look in to my case.

.

At Seberang Jaya Hospital, I was admitted in to the wads, and a (trainee?) Doctor started asking me questions, all types of questions, blood pressure, diabetes etc, as was again send for X ray, after the night, during the Afternoon Rounds another Doctor instructed that my leg be place on a Skin Traction, and again I was send off for treatment, which resulted in the bed I was in was move, down stairs to a treatment for the skin traction, (which in my opinion can be done at the wad.

.

The Next day the Specialist arrive, with a entire entourage of around 20 Doctors (Trainee’s ?) which then the Doctor (for the day) in charge of my case have to brief the Specialist, which found fault is basically every thing the Doctor Said. The Specialist then inform the Doctor what to do.

.

( As a side note, if I or my fellow managers talk to our workers like that I think most will resign immediately. )

.

After 24 hours i was bored stiff, During the 2nd Day, I stated hassling the Specialist to go home or at least transfer back to the Local District Hospital. The Answer, the Local District Hospital do not have the equipment for the Skin Traction. Well that that.

.

The 3rd Day, I again spoke to the Specialist and she finally agreed to send me home as i did not need further treatment .

.

Well to recap basically 1) For the Money we pay (My Stay with food cost RM50) it is well worth it 2) Main Hospitals are well equip, the smaller one will refer you 3) Service and Nursing Care are adequate

4) Hospitals have no spoons, please bring you own

5) Food serve is basically Malay Food, Thank you

Time to restart blogging

After a stop of a few months it time for me to restart my blogging. . . Well why did I stop in the first place . . 1) Got bored with up loading photos one at a time . . . 2) Work, been a buzy end of the year and no time to blog . . . 3) Slip and fell in my own bath room and crack my left thigh bone . . . 4) in Editing the blog so it look nice and eazy to read! . . . That resulted in a 4 day Hospital stay and 6 weeks of MC. more of that in the future. i hope